History of our Domaine

Established in 1859 by the cooper-craftsman Jean-Edouard Dupard, Domaine Jean Chartron has been governed by five generations concerned with both the expansion and prosperity of the prestigious vineyards as the management of the rural district.
The village owes him its name. In 1873, Jean-Edouard Dupard as mayor of Puligny, asked the city council to authorize by decision that the name Montrachet - the most prestigious local growth name - could be added to Puligny, the original name of the village.

Montrachet: Mont rachet on the 1839 cadastre.
Former spellings are given - > Mont Rachaz - Mont Rachat.
The term Rachat or Rachet comes from the old French word Rache, formerly designating the scab: thus a shaven and scabby hill, its flat slabs of rock and kind of low walls made of just piled stones (locally called "murgers") forming its baldness.

Never such a descriptive name could have been so accurately given to a hill: hardly emerging from the plain, the minute Montrachet hill looks like a « gougère » in the landscape (gougère is a well-known Burgundian small cake, made of cheesed choux pastry and served with the aperitif).

It naturally seems meant to be a barren land with stones and just a few meagre bushes...but when it dresses with vines it is just to wear the Golden Fleece

The origin of Puligny-Montrachet goes back to the Gallo-roman times, then called Puliniacus. The first vineyards have appeared in these times. However, the real expansion of the vineyards will only take place in 1095 when Pope Urban the Second ratifies the donation of the parish of Puligny and its land to the famous Abbey of Cluny.

The Burgundian viticultural civilisation started in the early first Century A.D. through the impetus given by the Romans. It developed during the sixth Century when numerous monasteries have been settled in Burgundy, amongst which the abbeys of Cluny and Cîteaux, famous for their influence on winegrowing.

These monks who, century after century, divided the vineyards in many different plots (called "climats") and started the hierarchy of the wines, unique in the world and still in use in Burgundy.
The influence of these abbeys over the whole Europe combined with the economic and cultural power of the Dukes of Burgundy will build up the fame of Burgundy wines.

Strongly backed on many vineyards of best terroirs of Puligny-Montrachet and in its neighbourhood, Domaine Jean Chartron has naturally specialized in the vinification and the ageing of great Burgundy wines.